Federal workers in Washington state face growing uncertainty as the U.S. government shutdown enters its third week.

Washington is home to more than eighty-thousand federal employees, many of whom could be furloughed, temporarily laid off or required to work without pay if Congress cannot reach a funding deal.

Key programmes are already under pressure.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Programme for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which serves over six million low-income mothers and children nationwide, could exhaust its contingency reserve in the coming days.

Some state officials warn Washington may need to step in — a financially difficult move for many states.

While mandatory benefit programmes such as Social Security, Medicare and the U.S. Postal Service continue, many discretionary functions have been paused.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that more than forty per cent of its workforce could be furloughed, with research, health guidance and oversight functions deeply affected.

In Washington, the state Office of Financial Management is gathering data on the impact of the shutdown on service delivery and state-agency dependencies as federal contracts and grants remain in limbo.

Some nutrition and social-services programmes have already been flagged as at-risk if federal funding remains suspended.

Meanwhile, federal workers who are deemed essential must continue reporting for duty without pay, as was the case during previous shutdowns.

The prospect of delayed paychecks and extended interruptions is adding pressure on households and regional economies already sensitive to federal workforce disruptions.